1. Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to mapping the position of a point. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program product for sensing the position of a set of points relative to a physical object and correlating the position of the set of points to a digital model of the physical object.
2. Background
An example of a point is a defect on a manufactured part. A set of points is one or more points. A set of points may, for example, form a circle, an ellipsis, a line, and/or a three-dimensional shape. As used herein, a defect is a term used in manufacturing to denote an imperfection in a part under manufacture. Engineers study defects to correct the current defective part. The defects are also studied to understand and prevent further defective parts through identifying defect trends over time. To effectively find and correct the cause of defects, engineers may need to identify the location of a given defect.
Defect mapping is a method of localizing and communicating the position of a defect in a defect report. Defect position information may take the form of a simple “×” or other marking on a drawing, or other pictorial representation of the part. Currently, a user may make an imprecise identification of the location of the defect on the actual physical part, and correlate that location to a paper drawing to identify the location of the defect in the paper drawing. However, many times the paper drawing of the part will not show a view of the part necessary to localize the defect. Also, the scale of the “×” marking the defect location on the paper drawing may be such that a large area of the physical object is searched to find a small defect. In addition, indicating a location of a defect through marking a drawing by hand may provide incomplete information regarding the location of a defect.
In other scenarios, the defect location may be logged into an existing database by a user, who may measure, estimate, or omit the three-dimensional coordinates X, Y, and Z that define the position of the defect. These processes are imprecise, inaccurate, and burdensome to users.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an improved method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for identifying defects on a physical object.